Happy Birthday, Katharine Hepburn

Katharine Houghton Hepburn was born in Hartford, Connecticut on May 12, 1907. The second of six children, Katharine enjoyed a rather unconventional upbringing in the small coastal town of Old Saybrook. Her father, Tom, was a doctor, while her mother, also named Katharine, was president of the Connecticut Women's Suffrage Association. As Anne Edwards notes in her 1985 biography of Hepburn, “A Remarkable Woman,” “Kathy sat in the parlor and listened to ... women of radical ideas—in ardent discussions on venereal disease, prostitution and the use of contraceptives, as well as heated political debates and medical specifics on Dr. Hepburn’s cases.” Read more excerpts from the book on Adherents.com.

Katherine entered Bryn Mawr College in 1924. (Every year, the college honors their alumna by concluding their May Day celebrations with a showing of “The Philadelphia Story.”) After graduation, she acted in stage productions. Hepburn had turned down a contract offer from Paramount Pictures, eventually signing up with RKO Pictures after they accepted her demand for a weekly salary of $1,500, a princely sum at the time. She debuted on the big screen with 1932’s “A Bill of Divorcement,” and quickly made a name for herself, winning a Best Actress Oscar for her 1933 portrayal of aspiring actress Eva Lovelace in “Morning Glory.”

Despite a string of notable performances, including Jo in “Little Women” (1933), the Oscar-nominated title role in “Alice Adams” (1935) and an eccentric heiress in “Bringing up Baby” (1938), both industry insiders and audiences were initially put off by her refusal to dress glamorously, sit for interviews or provide autographs. She won them back as Tracy Lord in the 1940 box-office hit “The Philadelphia Story”; it was a role that had been written especially for her. Review all of her films and awards on the Internet Movie Database.

She met Spencer Tracy on the set of “Women of the Year” (1942), and her chemistry both on and off the screen with the already married actor blossomed into a love affair that would last until his death in 1967. Together, the couple would make nine movies, including “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” (1967), which earned Hepburn her second Best Actress Oscar. She picked up another the following year for her role as Eleanor of Aquitaine in “The Lion in Winter.” Hepburn spent most of the final years of her acting career on television, receiving four Emmy nominations and a win for outstanding lead actress in “Love Among the Ruins” (1975).

Hepburn’s last major film performance was in 1981, when she appeared with Henry Fonda in “On Golden Pond.” Both actors picked Oscars for their performances ( it was her fourth.) In a 1987 interview with The New York Times, Hepburn reflected on her many films and Oscar wins. 

In 1999, the American Film Institute gave Hepburn the top spot in their ranking of the 25 greatest female “American screen legends.” View the complete list on the AFI Web site.

Katharine spent the last years of her life out of the public eye. She died on June 28, 2003, in her family home in Old Saybrook, Connecticut. The New York Times paid homage to the legendary career of the 96-year old actress in their comprehensive obituary.